Young 'recession generation' entrepreneurs defy downturn

UK’s youngest entrepreneurs increase by a third since 2008 as youth
unemployment approaches one million*

‘Bedroom business’: over half start on less than £1k capital

Entertainment trumps retail as high street struggles continue – rise
in events, arts and music businesses

A new generation of young business owners are leading the way out of the
downturn, according to the annual Simply Business Start-up
Index, which reveals a 29 per cent rise in firms started by
18-25 year olds since the recession took hold in 2008.

Data from the UK’s largest business insurance provider, based on up to
750,000 individual quote requests annually, revealed that new businesses
accounted for 38 per cent of all applications in 2012, representing a
3.4 per cent increase on the previous year. This compared to a decline
of 8.7 per cent for all start-ups since 2008, making the big rise in
younger entrepreneurs all the more significant.

As part of the annual report, Simply Business conducted a start-up
capital poll on a cross-section of 500 customers, to review the current
landscape of finance and lending. This revealed that the majority of
businesses start on a shoestring, with 58 per cent raising less than
£1,000 to get off the ground and 39 per cent managing on less than £500.
Most start-ups are self-funded, relying on savings (84%) or family
(12%), with just five per cent receiving bank funding to launch their
enterprise.

“The start-up figures for 2012 are encouraging as they show that
enterprise is not being unduly suppressed by ongoing negativity in the
economy,” comments Jason Stockwood, Simply Business CEO. “This has been
among the most difficult periods ever faced for young people, with many
traditional routes to employment now closed, so it is especially
pleasing to see a new generation of entrepreneurs emerging and hopefully
building the household names of the future.”

‘Silver start-ups’ continue to look for ways to boost retirement income

At the opposite end of the scale to those at the start of their career,
the trend for retiree-age entrepreneurs continued in 2012 with a 7.2 per
cent increase in applications from those over the age of 65 – the
biggest annual rise of all age groups. Over 65s now account for more
than four per cent of all new business owners, gaining ground on the
most prolific start-up age of 35-44 year olds (30%).

Need for cheer cuts through the gloom with rise in entertainment and arts

Sentiment played a key part in the start-up landscape in 2012, with
entertainment and arts businesses such as event organisers and
children’s entertainers proving the biggest growing trades, with the
number of new businesses in the sector increasing by 10.8 per cent.
Elsewhere however, the struggles of the high street continued, with
restaurants (-24%), shops (-18%) and pubs (-16%) recording the biggest
declines overall, revealing the ongoing squeeze on consumers’ disposable
income.

Jason Stockwood continues: “The decline in retail trades is worrying as
it suggests the government’s efforts to revive the high street are
falling flat. This is clear evidence that a renewed focus is badly
needed to help support local, independent businesses in particular. On
the flipside, the rise in entertainment focused firms shows the
enterprising spirit of UK entrepreneurs as they look to meet demand for
some light relief in difficult times, as well as riding the wave of
major, feel-good events such as London 2012 and the Diamond Jubilee.

“Overall, the start-up demographics we have recorded in recent years
shed a lot of light on the environment we now live in. The meaning of
retirement has altered for many, as people look to carry on earning in
order to boost potentially reduced income. However, positives have also
sprung from this with many now viewing this period as a genuine
opportunity to make business dreams a reality.”

Case study

Ollie Rosenblatt, 25, founded the concert promoting company
Senbla, in the summer of 2011. He runs the
company with his university class-mate.

“I had been working as head of the live division at Jazz FM for a year
after graduating university with a degree in Popular World Music, but I
began to feel that I had enough experience and industry knowledge to
start doing things for myself. It was daunting, but I gathered the
confidence to break away and start my own business as I wanted to be in
complete control of my career path, particularly with the on-going
difficulties in the jobs market. It took some careful planning; I think
you can find gaps in certain markets but you have to look hard and
really examine the industry you're in to identify the genuine
opportunities. I saved money myself from working and living at home, and
I was given some capital from a successful art dealer who invested in
Senbla from the offset.

“One of the challenges we face is competing with the biggest UK concert
promoters for acts, but we’ve worked hard to show agents the benefits of
our approach for artists. As a result, we’ve put on events for some
major acts including Burt Bacharach, Nigel Kennedy, From the Jam and
Finley Quaye. The economy has definitely had an impact on audience
spending patterns in the concert market with people buying tickets last
minute, always on the lookout for cheap deals. This is the culture now,
which can be difficult to manage as a business owner, but we are
constantly learning and looking for innovative ways to boost ticket
sales. It’s clear that the small-mid market has suffered, however things
are definitely on the up. We recently did a deal with Islington Council
to put on a minimum of 60 shows this year at the Islington Assembly
Hall. It is hard work, but the future looks good for Senbla and I’m
happy to be my own boss at 25!”

Start-up success:

Start-up strugglers:

Strongest growing sectors in 2012

% increase on 2011

Weakest growing sectors in 2012

% decrease on 2011

Entertainment & Arts

+10.8%

Restaurant

-24.4%

Transport

+10.4%

Shops

-18.5

Cleaning

+3.8%

Pubs

-15.9%

Financial/Legal/Insurance

+0.9%

Architects/Surveyors

-9.8%

Regional start-up hotspots:

Regional start-up not-spots:

10 UK counties/boroughs where the start-up rate has increased most significantly in 2012

% increase compared to 2011

10 UK cities/counties where the start-up rate has declined most significantly in 2012

About Simply Business

Launched in 2005, Simply Business provides an online brokerage service delivering policies tailored to individual business requirements. It has a team of UK based insurance specialists and employs almost 300 people across offices in London and Northampton.

Simply Business provides insurance to more than 400,000 UK SMEs and landlords and owing to its internal underwriting capability can cover over 1,000 trade types. It has been a Sunday Times Tech Track 100 company for the past three years and was recently named in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA. Revenues have grown from £4.2 million in 2006, to £25.4 million in 2014, and the company has been named 2015 and 2016 winners of The Sunday Times’ Best Company to Work For.